‘I take it you heard the wedding was called off,’ he added dryly.
‘Called off?’ she asked, startled. ‘Are you serious?’
‘Yep.’
For a moment, Kenzie could only stare at him, completely dumbfounded by the news. ‘I’m so sorry. I had no idea.’Oh crap.‘Maybe once things settle down—’
‘It’s over,’ he cut in abruptly.
‘Oh. Well, I’m …’ she stammered, unsure exactly what to say when there were a multitude of questions racing through her head. ‘I know it’s probably my fault, for telling you … but I honestly didn’t expect it to break up you and Sasha.’
‘She didn’t give you any grief about the cancellation?’ he asked, ignoring her apology.
‘No. Which is weird, considering.’
‘I didn’t tell her about you.’
‘You didn’t?’ Kenzie frowned. ‘Why not?’
‘Because there wasn’t any point ruining your business.’
‘Didn’t she want to know who the mother was?’
‘She wasn’t exactly interested in hearing the details. She made it clear that she didn’t want us to have any contact with the child, and I told her I couldn’t do that.’
‘So she broke up with you?’ Kenzie gaped at him.
‘Sasha doesn’t deal well with competition,’ he said, wincing slightly. ‘I think she saw a child as something that would take away part of my attention. She’s … got a few insecurities.’
Ya think?‘So you chose to end your relationship?’
‘I didn’t end it. I told her I couldn’t walk away from my responsibilities, and she decided she didn’t want to be married to someone who had a child with another woman.’
‘If you’d had any other wedding planner, you’d still be getting married.’ It wasn’t her fault his wedding had been cancelled, but she did feel bad for him. The timing was terrible. ‘If I’d had any other wedding planner, I’d never have found out I had a daughter.’ He shrugged, his gaze moving to the yard behind her.
‘Poppy’s out with my mum, feeding horses. She’ll be up soon. Come on in,’ Kenzie said.
‘So, this is your parents’ place?’ he asked as they took a seat at the table on the verandah.
‘My mum and stepdad’s. My grandparents own the other half and the house you drove past, but they’re off on a holiday around Australia.’
‘Nice spot,’ he remarked as they looked out at the view surrounding them.
‘They built it not long after the fires went through here a few years ago. This whole area was practically burned to the ground. Jack owns the neighbouring place. He lost his house,’ she said, nodding her head in the direction of the creek, ‘but he still runs his cattle and a B and B over there.’
‘I remember that season. It was a bad one. It’s hard to believe a fire went through here now,’ Ewan said, looking around.
‘It’s amazing how the land comes back after something that terrible.’ Ithadbeen a bad season. She could still remember how scared she’d been for those few days when she’d been unable to contact her mother. Seeing the devastation on the news and posted all over social media, knowing her mum had been out here, farm-sitting for her parents, had been one of the most worrying moments of her life.
‘The land can take care of itself. It’s the people who take a lot longer to recover after a disaster of that magnitude,’ Ewan pointed out. ‘I saw a lot of farmers at breaking point after that. I know a lot who never returned to their properties.’
‘Would you like a cuppa?’ Kenzie asked, before remembering this wasn’t exactly a social visit.
‘I’m okay for the moment. I guess we should talk about where we go from here?’
Kenzie tried for a smile but it probably came out looking more like a cringe when he seemed to swallow nervously before taking a breath. ‘I have to be honest. I wasn’t sure how I felt about all this when you first told me. It was a bit of a shock to be told I’ve suddenly become a father. It was hard to wrap my head around.’
‘I get that.’
